Convertible railway-car.



E. A. McRAE. Y CONVERTIBLE RAILWAY CAR.. APPucATloN HLEILDECJ?. 1915. i Lw. Patentedug. 7,1917.

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FINLAY A. MCRAE, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

CONVERTIBLE RAILWAY-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. "3', 1917.

Application filed December 17, 1915. Serial N o. 67,409.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, F INLAY ALEXANDER MoRAn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Railway- Cars; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a dumping flat car with a detachable housingV and means for attaching the same to a flat car along the edges of the latter. To this end the invention may be said to consist of the car the platform of which has a pair of parallel series of dumping ports, each series being controlled by a slidable valvular member operated from the end of the car; a housing of substantially inverted U-form with a pair of doors in its opposite sides, the doors being made in upper and lower sections and adapted to interlock and being independently pivoted to the housing; and end members closing the ends of the housing. v

Another feature of thev invention consists of a series of arched members adapted to be removably attached to the platform in place of the housing in order to provide for the carrying of lumber or similar lading.

Another feature consists of a nut-lock plate of particular construction to clasp a series of nuts.

Another feature consists of apertures formed in the sides of the car near the doors and provided with slidable closures. These apertures serve either as stove-pipe holes or ventilators, or may be closed when neither is required;

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar referencemembers indicate the same parts, and wherein Figure l is a side elevation of my improved convertible railway car partly in section, thesection being taken on a vertical line approximately midway the width of the car;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view partly taken on line 2-2 Fig. l and partly through one of the end sections of the h0using; l

tilated cars and ordinary freight Fig. 3 is a similar View to Fig. 9. taken on line 3-3 Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of a platform member to be detachably fitted upon the sub-structure of the ordinary flat car;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a similar platform member with discharge openings and slidable valves for controlling the same;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 6--6, Fig. l, and illustrating one of the door openings and the position of the upper door therein when in closed position;

Fig. 7 is adetail perspective view of one of the end sections of the housing.

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the intermediate or bridging sections of the housing.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of one of the doors.

Fig. 10 is a detail View illustrating the joint between sections of the housing.

Fig. ll is a detail view illustrating one of the end pieces of the housing.

Fig. l2 is a detail elevation of one of the members for preventing displacement of lumber and the like during transportation;

Fig. 13 is a detail plan view of the nutlock.

Fig. thereof.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view in diagram of the platform members the section being taken on a longitudinal line on Fig. 5 bisecting one series of openings.

Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the engaging :flanged side edges of one of the sections of the housing and one of the platform members with the means for locking the two together, in place and,

Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view illustrating the clamping levers for securing the upper member of each grain-door in place.

Heretofore railway companies have experienced considerable loss and inconvenience owing to the fact that two or more sets of freight cars were necessarily kept constantly in commission. Among other types so maintained were flat cars, dumping ballast cars, gondola cars, of both the side and bottom dumping varieties, grain cars, vencars, each type requiring substructure, trucks and wheels together with the full complement of braking and draft gear devices; and the problem sought to be solved by railway com- 14 is a transverse sectional view panies has been to reduce the cost of initial purchase and continuous maintenance to a minimum. Wy invention has successfully solved the problem by producing a convertible car the parts of which are adapted as conditions require to serve as either one of the several types just mentioned, and consists of attachments to the sub-structure of the ordinary car, which I will. now describe in detail.

.The sub-structure comprises the usual structural members, and the parts are for instance channel-iron, side sills Z) and end sills c, the holsters, side frames, axles, journal boxes and wheels, not being shown as they form no part of the present invention.

According to this invention the following independently portable members are employed: A platform member having discharge openings therein closed by a pair of parallel slides extending substantially throughout the length of the platform, a pair of end housing sections, end pieces for closing one end of each of these sections, a bridging member uniting the roof portions of the sections, and upper and lower door members for closing the space beneath the bridging member and between the sections of the housing; a series of arched members of strap form adapted to be fastened to the platform and serve as lumber retainers in substitution for the housing; a series of end w and side wall members adapted to be detachably fastened to the lumber arches to present a gondola effect.

These parts with the exception of the lumber arches may be packed or nested together in su'liicient number to equip a number of cars, and shipped on a car equipped with the lumber arches. In this way a train may be made up of a certain particular type of car say for instance gondola cars to transport a loose commodity such as gravel, coal or the like, and one car of the train to be served, acts as a carrier for the equipment necessary to convert the gondola cars into lumber cars or box cars.

More specifically stated my invention comprises a pair of detachable platforms resting on the substructure and each consists of end sections 5, united by an intermediate section G, the inner ends of each end section being turned upwardly back upon itself as at 7, and the corresponding edges of the intermediate section turned downwardly back upon itself as at 8. As above stated these platforms are detachable their edges being turned downwardly as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 15 to prevent horizontal displacement of the same relatively to the superstructure. One of these platforms has its section. apertured, as at 10, and its intermediate section provided with corresponding apertures 12; this intermediate section consequently being in the form of a frame having two openings therein all four sides of each of the openings 10 and 12 being turned as at 13. These apertures are adapted to be closed by a pair of parallel slides 97 and 98 operated by shafts 99 extending through brackets 101 secured to the underside of the slides, axial displacement of the shafts being prevented by rings 102 mounted rigidly thereon and located between brackets 108 and the end sill to which such brackets are secured. These shafts are preferably operated by crank arms 105.

These platform members may be used either for ballast car or for the ordinary flat car. The sides and ends of each platform member are provided with 11p-turned flanges 14.

The displaceable housing comprises, as before mentioned, two end portions each of which consists of a pair of sections 20 and 21. The sections of each end portion are connected together by having their adjoining edges bent inwardly at right angles and then outwardly and back upon themselves and adapted to engage as shown in the detail view Fig. 10 such inwardly projecting portions being bolted together and the bent back portion being clamped together by a locking member 33 which extends across the car and overhangs each side as at 76. The lower edges of these sections are formed with upwardly extending flanges 25, by having their lower edges turned upwardly. These edges 25 are adapted to rest within the flanged portion 1st of the platform member and are held in place by slidable locks 31 which are adapted to completely inclose the iianges le and 25. These locks .are of U- cross section the outer arm of the U being elongated and bent back upon itself to constitute a lock. In order to stiffen these housing sections each of them is provided with a rigid arched member 26 riveted or otherwise fastened in place, and the corners are reinforced by buffers 27 preferably consisting of forged steel bolted to the steel sheeting forming the sides and ends of the housing.

The ends of these housing members and consequently the ends of the box car are formed by end pieces 30. These end pieces are of plate formas indicated in Fig. 11 and are bolted to the turned in edges 7 5 of the sections 20. Y

The sections 21 of the housing are united at their top or roof by an intermediate roof member 10, the edges of which toward the ends of the car are folded back upon their under sides as at 4:1 to engage turned back edges 42 on the roof of the sections 21. These intermediate roof sections are slid into place and they are of suflicient length transversely to the car to have their ends overhang and form a water shed for the door openings which are presented by the space between the sections 21, such sections being turned inwardly as at 62 to present stiHening members to serve as door posts.

The doors of which there are two, are 1ocated as usual at the middle of each side, and consist of upper and lower members and 51 respectively. The lower member is substantially Z-form the lower turned-in flange 52 thereof resting upon a threshold strip 90 having its inner edge 91 bent back upon itself to prevent leakage and also to prevent inward displacement of the lower member, the upper flange of this member presenting a shoulder 53 upon which the other member rests when in raised position and which coacts with the lower edge of the latter in presenting a Weather-proof joint. This upper member is in sliding relation with the lower and its side and lower edges are offset as at 54 and anged asiat 55 for weatherprooing purposes andto revent outward displacement thereof. T e lower member is also extended laterally as at 180 to prevent outward displacement thereof.

When in initial loading position the upper member is located immediately behind the lower member and as the depth of the lading increases it may be raised to any desired position and clamped in place by a pair of brackets 149 operated by a pair of cam levers 150 located one at each side of the door opening. When the car is full, the upper member is raised until the hooks 151 secured to its upper side edge engage the bracket 152 secured to the underside of the intermediate roof section from which the door is hung.

The abutting edges of the upper and lower members are fastened together by a hasp 57 secured to the lower member and engaging the staple 56 on the upper member.

Adjacent one of the door openings one of the sections 21 is provided with an opening which may be used as a stove-pipe hole or for ventilation and is adapted to be closed by a plate 176 hinged to the section.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the What I claim is as follows 1. A knock-down car body comprising body-members of inverted U-form; unitary end plates; a transverse middle bridge-me1nber, and detachable means uniting these parts together.

2. In a convertible car a detachable platform having depending sides and ends, the sides having up-turned external flanges; a detachable housing having upturned iianges at its lower edges, and slidable locks for fastening the housing and platform together consisting of devices each adapted to clasp a flange of the housing and the depending portion of the platform.

3. In a convertible car consisting of a substructure, a platform mounted upon the substructure and consisting of end sections hav ing their adjacent edges bent back upon themselves and an intermediate section having bent-back edges engaging the bent-back edges of the end sections, the sides of said platform being bent to present turned-,up iianges, a housing consisting of a plurality of sections of inverted U-cross-section the lower edges of the housing being bent to present turned-up iianges and resting in the turned-up anges on the platform, means for detachably connecting the contacting edges of said last mentioned sections together said means consisting of rectangular locking strips adapted to inclose the said contacting edges and prevent relative displacement of the same, and means for detachably securing the housing to the platform said means consisting of rectangular locking strips adapted to inclose the engaging turned-up ianges of the housing and platform.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

FINLAY A. MGRAE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM I-IEWE'rsoN, DAvrY RoBERYEs.

Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). C. 

